Neighbors of El Vedado, in Havana, apprehended a man accused of stealing a phone from an elder woman, in an incident that was caught on video and reveals an alarming detail: the alleged thief was on a prison release pass at the time of the theft.
The recording, just over a minute long, was shared by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada and shows several neighbors confronting the individual, demanding that he return the phone and calling him "brazen" and "a repeat offender."
"That's to show you the crime here in this country. Right now, I just stole a phone from an elderly woman. What a brazen act. Truly brazen," can be heard from one of the people present in the video.
At another moment, the neighbors press the detainee to hand over the device: "Where is the phone? Where did you put it? Where is the phone?"
The fact that the alleged thief was on temporary release exacerbates public perception regarding the effectiveness of the Cuban penitentiary system. The current Penal Code (Law No. 151/2022) allows for renewable leaves of up to 72 hours for inmates with good behavior, a mechanism that has been criticized for facilitating recidivism.
The incident adds to a series of citizen arrests that have multiplied in Havana due to the growing ineffectiveness of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR). Last Wednesday, neighbors in Vedado captured another man who was stealing wheels from garbage containers on Jovellar Street, at the corner of L and M. The arrested individual was handed over to the PNR at the station on Zapata and C, and during his capture, he asked not to be filmed.
On Saturday, in the Reparto Modelo of Camagüey, an elderly man with a crutch caught a thief in his home and the neighbors tied him up until the authorities arrived.
El Vedado has a number of similar incidents. In June 2023, neighbors caught a cell phone thief on 23rd Street between E and F, who was carrying a backpack full of stolen belongings, and in May of the same year, another man was apprehended while attempting to steal a taxi at the intersection of 23 and M.
The phenomenon reflects an unprecedented public security crisis in Cuba. According to the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (OCAC), in 2025 there were 2,833 verified crimes, a 115% increase compared to 2024 and a 337% rise compared to 2023, with an average of seven to eight crimes per day. Thefts accounted for 1,536 cases, an increase of 479% since 2023.
Havana recorded 398 verified crimes in 2025, making it the third most affected province after Matanzas (503) and Granma (424). The Ministry of the Interior (MININT) itself acknowledged a 25% increase in property crimes in February 2026, which it attributed to the "complex economic situation," in an unusual concession that sidesteps the regime's responsibility after decades of policies that have crippled the Cuban economy.
Mobile phone thefts are particularly common due to the high value of devices in the informal Cuban market, where a single device can equate to several months' worth of salary. Real wages in Cuba fell by 33.5% between 2021 and 2024, leading to a surge in subsistence crimes across the island.
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